


Star Pupil

by Chess_Blackfyre



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Worldbuilding, the main ship here is Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 09:34:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22073641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chess_Blackfyre/pseuds/Chess_Blackfyre
Summary: Callum learns some more sky magic, almost dies in a thunderstorm (again), and makes a new friend
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 67





	1. Aspiro Frigis

**Author's Note:**

> So, this idea came to me after seeing the art for my lovely new skywing OC
> 
> check out thebestdragonprince on tumblr! They have great stuff on there. Art at the bottom

After the third failed attempt at Aspiro Frigis, Ibis had to say that his student’s feathers were more than a bit ruffled--figuratively and literally. Very few Skywing elves were blessed with a natural set of wings and as evidenced by the black-feathered limbs that sprouted from her lower back, Freyja was among those few.

As one of the most powerful magi of the Skywing elves, it had been expected for Ibis to take on an apprentice at some point. To that end, he had selected Freyja. While young, she had a natural curiosity and love of learning, even going to far as to try and teach herself Ancient Draconic. After taking her on, Ibis learned that while the girl had no shortage of work ethic and wasn’t easily daunted she had trouble when it came to actually casting spells.

The pair of mages were in an open field not far from town, set up with several training dummies for target practice. The sky was overcast, and a strong breeze ruffled their hair and her feathers. It was prime weather to practice sky magic, but Freyja was struggling, as she had when learning to cast other spells.

Her face was flushed, and he didn’t like the color her fingers were turning as she was about to attempt the ice spell for a fourth time. Sloppiness was as deadly as dragons when it came to spellcasting, and Freyja would risk frostbite if it meant she could finally cast Aspiro Frigis.

“Perhaps now is a good time for a breather,” he suggested, placing a hand on her shoulder before she could start drawing out the rune. The girl said nothing, her lips pressed into thin lines as she looked down at her hands.

“You’re getting frustrated, and frustration just makes it harder. Now, let’s take a deep breath in” he demonstrated, inhaling, “and a deep breath out,” then exhaling.

She mirrored him. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

“Now, try the rune again. Don’t rush it, just _feel_ it.” Extending out her hand, the young elf traced out the icy blue rune.

“ _Aspiro Frigis.”_

With a gust of sharp, cold air, the grassy meadow around them suddenly seemed to be in the dead of winter, with the training dummy completely encapsulated in ice. The look on Freyja’s face was ecstatic, and she turned back to her teacher, eyes hungry to learn more. Ibis smiled, and clapped a hand on her shoulder. “See? There you have it. I’m confident that you will be a great mage, Freyja, all you need is a little patience.”

* * *

**_Years Later…_ **

****

Freyja was running out of patience.

A week ago, Ibis had flown out to the Storm Spire to check on Queen Zubeia. This was normal, the mage was a liaison between elves and dragons, his visits increasing after the death of King Avizandum but what wasn’t normal were the tales of a human army marching through Xadia, sacking Lux Aurea, and making their way towards the Storm Spire. Three days ago, she was about to fly out to look for him herself when Ibis had returned—and not alone.

He arrived back home with a guest. Callum, a human prince from the kingdom of Katolis. That was weird, sure, (she’d never actually seen a real human before), but what really wigged Freyja out was _how_ they arrived. The pair had traveled from the Storm Spire via flight, their arms turned to wings through one of the most advanced sky spells that existed.

This human had forged a connection to the sky arcanum (somehow) and had come here to learn more magic from her and Ibis _._ For context, that was like seeing someone with aim so true, they could split an arrow by shooting it with another arrow, then turn back to you asking for archery lessons. To add insult to injury, the boy had only picked up a bow a _month_ ago.

In the three days he’d been here, Callum had soon mastered every single spell they’d shown him. Aspiro? Already knew that. Fulminis? Also mastered that. Aspiro Frigis? Surprise, surprise, he’d basically figured it out in one go. Now the prince was just practicing in the training meadow, Ibis showing him how the spell could be modified and played around with for different uses.

That was why she was running out of patience. Not with herself, or any spell, but the situation.

Freyja glowered as Ibis smiled and laughed at the prince’s progress. Seriously, what the hell was his secret? Did he swallow a primal stone or something? A word from her teacher drew her out of her thoughts.

“I’m sorry to run out on you like this, but I have some urgent business to attend to in town. Freyja, how about you practice spells with Callum? Maybe show him a thing or two.”

She forced a smile. “Can do.”

One _Manus Pluma Volantis_ later, and the two teenagers were awkwardly standing in a field together. The young Skywing looked the human up and down. He looked to be two or three years younger than her, with a slight build and an open face. There were no stains of dark magic anywhere she could see—not that Freyja really suspected it, even if it would have explained how the hell he could do all of this.

“You know, we haven’t really had a chance to talk since you arrived,” Freyja observed, voice purposefully casual. “So, I have to ask: how _did_ you forge a connection to the sky arcanum?”

The prince blinked at her.

“Well, uh, after a few, shall we say, false starts, I finally managed to piece it together. I figured out that the whole _world_ is like a giant primal stone! It’s not just when it’s raining or gusty out, sky magic is always all around us, in every breath we take.” He smiled, looking completely genuine.

“That…makes a disturbing amount of sense.” Freyja considered, filing that away to consider later. “But getting back on track, what should I show you…” she considered, pacing a few feet away. He’d breezed through all the simple spells—then the obvious choice would be to teach him the _not_ simple spells. With a smile, she turned back to him. “Alright Callum, you’ve cast spells involving wind and lightning, now it’s time to draw power from clouds.”

“Clouds? What can you do with clouds?” Most people would ask that in a condescending way, but to his credit, the human sounded intrigued.

“A demonstration would work best.” With a flick of her wings, she flew over and perched on top of a large boulder on the other side of the field. “How much do you suppose this weighs?”

“I don’t know like, a ton?” Callum guessed, a little winded from having to chase after her.

“Probably right, however...” with a smile, she drew out a white rune that resembled a wisp-like cloud. “ _Nubelis_.” A white, gaseous vapor shot out from her finger, and surrounded the bottom part of the boulder, lifting it up and letting it hover about a foot above the ground. “With this spell, you create a cloud-like gas that allows you to move heavy objects with ease.” With that, she effortlessly moved the boulder a few feet to the middle of the field.

“Plus,” Freyja fell back, the cloud gathering and rising to cushion her. “You can even use it to ferry yourself around, if you’re feeling lazy.”

“Wow,” Callum was practically star-eyed, kneeling down to run his hand through the vapors “That’s amazing Freyja, seriously.” She smiled, perfectly pleased with herself. The Skywing elf then invited him to try. “Be careful though, this rune can be pretty—“

“ _Nubelis!_ ”

“—tricky.”

Callum laughed as he leaned back on his own cloud, a darker blue-grey. With a few experimental moves of his fingers, he started to control the cloud’s movements. Something that had taken Freyja _days_ of near constant practice to figure out.

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

“Thank you so much for showing me this,” the prince smiled. “It’s so cool! Oh man, I cannot _wait_ to show this to Rayla and Ezran.”

She forced a smile. “That’s…great. Really.”

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

* * *

You know what? Callum had actually done her a favor. He’d just made it clear how much she’d let herself lag behind.

The next day, she mentioned wanting to brush up on her Ancient Draconic, so Callum and Ibis were making use of the training field without her. Freyja doubted they’d notice if she just didn’t come, her teacher was obviously enjoying time with his new star pupil.

Going into Ibis’ study, the young mage immediately went to where she knew the more advanced techniques were kept. Digging through manuscripts and scrolls, Freyja looked for the right spell that would show Ibis what she was _really_ capable of.

The prince had his time in the limelight, but Freyja was going to show him why _she_ was the real apprentice around here.

A spell to conjure more than just a small breeze, but a whirlwind. With a smile, she copied out the rune in her own notebook, and carefully placed everything back to where she’d found it. Then, she took to the skies.

Flying up above Ibis’ home, she closed her eyes and purposely reached out, feeling the sky magic all around her. Deep breath in, deep breath out. “ _Impetus Tempestatis!_ ”

She felt the magic flow through her and then swirl around her. She looked out to find herself in the eye of a whirlwind. Freyja laughed, eyes bright. She had gotten it! In _one go!_ But that lapse in concentration—even to savor the moment—caused the spell to spiral out of her control.

The sky mage’s laughter turned to a yelp as she found herself no longer at the eye of the whirlwind, but at the edges.

“Wait, no--!” She raised her hands up, trying to re-establish control. But it was much like reaching after a horse’s reigns after it had already kicked you off. Soon enough, Freyja was caught in the pull of her own storm, and helpless to escape.

* * *

Callum wiped the sweat away from his brow, and looked back towards Ibis’ house. “Uh…what’s that?!”

The mage turned, fear and confusion immediately striking into his heart. “One of the most powerful spells of the sky arcanum—and one of the hardest to control.” He held out his arms. _“Manus Pluma Volantis!”_ He looked back to Callum and ordered the boy to stay there while he dealt with it.

His heart stuttered when he saw a familiar set of black wings. Freyja was being tossed about like a ragdoll, the young apprentice trying and failing to orient herself in fly out. If something wasn’t done, she would—

Ibis pushed the thought aside. He would have to concentrate if he wanted to save her. The old expression went that you could use fire to fight fire, and the same tenant can hold true in sky magic.

With a deep breath, he focused all the power he could gather and turned it against the whirlwind. “ _Impetus Tempestatis Novis!”_

* * *

Art by thebestdragonprince on tumblr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! We have a lot of fun following Callum's adventures, seeing him learn sky magic, but I couldn't help but wonder how someone who learned magic the more conventional way (ie an elven mage) would react to him. Thus, Freyja and this story was born!
> 
> If you like what you've read here, leave a kudos or a comment down below! Thank you


	2. Nubelis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three mages must deal with the aftermath of Freyja's failed whirlwind, and the young apprentice finds something VERY interesting in the corner of a dusty broom closet

The young prince watched as the Skywing mage flew towards the whirlwind, everything in him screaming to go and help. But Callum knew when he was out of his depth, and all his presence would do is distract Ibis.

Besides, it seemed the older mage had everything well in hand. Soon, the storm winds turned a magical kind of blue, before disappearing. The skies cleared, and the whirlwind was gone. Then Callum noticed the state of the house and winced.

He just hoped that Freyja was all right.

* * *

As quickly as she has been caught in the winds, the apprentice found herself free of them. And quickly in a freefall, plummeting towards the ground. Years of practice and instinct had her great wings catch in time, allowing the girl to glide back down to the ground rather than crash.

Taking a moment, she kneeled on the ground, panting and waiting for her head to stop spinning. After a minute, she looked up—only to see the angry face of Ibis staring down at her. Suddenly, being ripped apart by a whirlwind didn’t sound so bad.

“What. Happened?” He demanded.

“I, uh, that is I—“ she squeaked out, rising to her feet. “I went into your study and I sort of…skipped ahead to one of the more advanced spells.”

“I can see that.” His voice was positively icy.

“I know what I did wrong. I had control of it, but then I got distracted for just a _moment_ and I could feel it slip away from me. I’m so sorry, Ibis, It’ll never happen again I _swear._ ”

“This never should have happened in the _first place.”_ He bit out. Freyja flinched back, startled by the harsh tone of his voice, rather than out of any fear. Neither of them noticed Callum’s approach until the boy spoke up.

“Hey, we’re all okay, and that’s what’s important, right?” He tentatively added. “Mistakes happen.”

“Yes, but even so.” Ibis pinched the bridge of his nose and turned back to her. “Freyja…I thought you knew better than to try a spell you didn’t know all on your own.”

“I was just trying to—“

“Endanger yourself and make a complete mess of the house? Well, it seems you’ve succeeded.” She looked away, her cheeks flushed and wings dropping in shame. The older Skywing sighed, the anger melting away. “Callum, it seems we’ll have to postpone rune lessons. Freyja…grab a broom. We’ll need to clean this place up.”

“Yes, sir.”

Callum’s sympathetic look was almost too much to bear.

* * *

Ibis’ study looked like—well like a whirlwind tore through it. Just like the rest of the house. Cleaning was exhausting, dirty, and tedious, but she did it. Her old favorite Nubelis was helpful, allowing her to safely clean up broken glass and haul the broken furniture outside. They would have to decide which pieces to save and what to scrap later. The books had survived largely unscathed, only knocked around and completely disorganized. Which was inconvenient considering Ibis had as many tomes on magical theory, creatures, and spells as befitting a mage of his station, so she was trying to put the equivalent of a small library back together.

By the time she was done, the moon was high in the sky and Callum and Ibis retired to bed hours ago. With a yawn, she placed the broom back into the hall closet, planning on retiring to bed. That was when she found it.

A small, wooden box was gathering dust in the corner. Half curious and half bored, Freyja decided to open it. What she found almost took her breath away—and she knew spells that could _literally_ take someone’s breath away.

Could this be…No way. Freyja almost thought she was dreaming. The inside of the box was lined with dark blue velvet, and a small orb was placed inside. That orb shone with the soft, glittering light of a meteor storm in miniature, falling stars darting across the tiny night sky. Gently picking it up, she could feel the thrum of magic underneath her fingertips.

A star primal stone…Freyja’s amazement doubled once the realization sunk in. Out of the six primal sources, star magic was the least understood. From what she knew, the arcanum drew on the vast power of the cosmos, and involves divination, cosmic vision, and seeing into the “beyond” (whatever that meant). Creatures connected to the stars were extremely uncommon and rarely seen, especially the Startouched elves.

“Who the bloody hell leaves a primal stone in a hall closet?” She whispered to herself. Turning it this way and that…that was when she noticed the large crack on the bottom, with the spindly, spider-web like cracks that crawled their way up the side from that. Freyja's face fell, as did her hopes. Well, that certainly explains it. Somebody had bloody well _dropped_ the primal stone.

With a sigh, the young mage was about to just put it back and get on to bed when she noticed a folded piece of paper and an old notebook tucked into the side. With the same curiosity that had her open the box, she decided to read the note.

_Ibis—_

_It has been my honor and pleasure to have you as a student, to watch you grow into the young man and talented mage I knew that you could be. So please, allow your old master one final story. The story of my primal stone._

_Primal stones are incredibly rare, and many have devoted their lives trying to find or craft one, even though the practice been largely lost. I was one such mage, and after years of study and research, I came across the legend of an ancient elven temple in a forgotten corner of Xadia. According to this legend, the oracles who lived there delivered prophecies that always came true, and drew their power from a fallen star._

_While others had dismissed it as just a story, I decided to pursue it. I found a book which lead to an archaeological site which led to a mural depicting this temple—apparently the queen got a really good prophesy decided to honor them—and the mural clearly depicted this ‘falling star’ as a primal stone.  
_

_Feeling vindicated, I redoubled my efforts to find this ancient temple, rushing headlong into danger and the unknown to find that mysterious source of power. Looking back, between the rockslides, running out of clean drinking water, getting lost in the jungle (twice) and animal attacks, it’s frankly a miracle that I didn’t die. It was that same bull-headed stubbornness that kept me alive was the very thing that put me in danger in the first place.  
_

_But getting back to the point. I eventually found the temple. An overgrown ruin sitting at the top of one of the highest cliff faces, and there, on the topmost pedestal, was the fallen star. I held it in my hands, and prepared to cast my first star spell. Lumara, to conjure light._

_And I got zilch._

_Three more pathetic attempts at star magic before I notice the gods-damned crack at the bottom of the primal stone._

_That’s right—I had almost gotten myself killed for a primal stone that didn’t even work. Others would say it wasn’t a total bust, the temple that I had discovered was one of the greatest archeological finds of our time, dating back to the era of the first elves. But to me, it meant nothing. Without star magic it wasn't enough. It never would have been enough. So I would just have to_ make _it work._

_I’ll spare you the details of my experiments, of the next few decades fruitlessly searching for a way to fix the damned thing. Eventually, I just gave up, and just accepted that I was a failure. You’d fight me on this, Ibis, but I certainly_ felt _like a failure._

_In my shame, I retreated from the world. I found little joy in anything, not even magic. (An Archmage hating magic, there’s probably a bad joke in there somewhere). Then, you came to me._

_I still remember you, thirteen years old, bright-eyed and asking if I would teach you magic. I don’t think I ever apologized for slamming the door in your face. Then again, it was the fact that you didn’t run away and kept asking is what eventually made me take you on—although when I showed you Fulminis, it was more an attempt to scare you off than anything else. But you worked it out, and you kept going, no matter what I threw at you._

_Through teaching you, I re-discovered the joy of magic, seeing it fresh through your eyes. When you finally mastered Manus Pluma Volantus, the look of pure joy on your face is something that I will never forget, and remains one of my dearest memories. While I still have my own regrets, meeting you and teaching have never been one of them._

_This is my final lesson: magic is an amazing thing, and with it, I am sure that you will be able to accomplish great things. But never let magic blind you to common sense, or to neglect your own well-being._

_I hope this primal stone will serve as a reminder of that, and of me. (Who knows, maybe you’ll finally be able to make the darn thing work someday.)_

_Your teacher,_

_Andromeda_

Afterwards, if that box went from a dusty corner in a closet to a dark corner underneath her bed, Freyja was sure that no one would really mind.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was an awkward affair, to say the least. The three mages sat around the table, mugs full of hot tea as they munched on Xadian fruit, silence hanging heavy in the air.

Eventually, Ibis decided to end the tension. “Callum, would you mind giving Freyja and I some privacy—“

“Leaving now,” he jumped up out of his chair, grabbing a Xadian orange on his way out.

The senior mage spoke first. “Freyja, I want to apologize for losing my temper with you yesterday,” He looked at her. “I was worried. When I saw you caught in the winds like that, I feared the worst.”

Freyja’s wings fidgeted

She blinked. “I understand, and…thank you.”

“For what?”

“Caring about me.”

He smiled. “I know that you’re capable of great things, Freyja, you just messed up is all. Like I said, we can’t rush, but must have patience.”

Great things, huh? Freyja’s thoughts drifted back to the box sitting on her desk as she plopped some grapes into her mouth. Well, at least she knew where to start.

* * *

**_One week later…_ **

Freyja was almost at the verge at slamming her head against a wall. And no, it wasn’t because of Callum. Well, not _directly_ because of Callum.

Andromeda’s notes had started out simple enough. The journal charted out her journey to the temple, and her excitement at the thought of finding a primal stone, the runes for several star magic spells she’d wanted to try—Freyja had diligently copied those into her own notebook. Then Andromeda found the stone, found out about the crack, and her notes were filled with different theories and ideas for how to try and fix it.

_A-ha,_ Freyja had thought, if she studied all the ways the Archmage failed to fix the primal stone, she could come up with her _own_ ideas, avoiding the mistakes of the past.

Except Andromeda’s notes were written only for _her_. Not in the sense they were coded, but in the sense that there was a lot left unsaid. Sentence fragments, references to things or places or people that Freyja did not get, as well as the general assumed knowledge of someone who was, well, an archmage. So even trying to do that much was a mental strain. On top of the already physical strain of the late-night study sessions.

As she wanted to keep Ibis or Callum from finding out what she was doing, she had to research this when she knew neither one Which also meant that she hadn’t been getting much sleep over the past week. No matter though, it wasn’t anything that a little stimulant tea couldn’t fix.

Both things Freyja could handle (like it wasn’t fun but she could handle) but during the entire time the wonder prince continued to outstrip her in every conceivable way when it came to sky magic. To the point where Freyja didn’t even know why he bothered to talk to her anymore. It was…whatever, she totally didn’t care anymore. At all. Soon, she’d have _star_ magic.

Freyja was staring at her tea like she was hoping it would give her the answer to everything, and that was a lot to ask from a cup of tea.

“You know…” Callum spoke up, probably looking for small-talk. “I hear that some people can interpret the patterns of tea-leaves to predict the future. Is that a thing in Xadia?”

Freyja responded with a deadpan look and resumed gazing into her cup of tea. _If it is a thing,_ she mused, _it’s the closest thing I’m getting to unlocking star magic._

“Morning kids,” Ibis entered with a smile. “It looks like we’re expecting a big lightning storm sometime around midday and lasting into the night, so if you have any business in town, I’d do it now.”

“Oh, right.” Freyja shotgunned the rest of her tea and stood up. “I should go out and do some grocery shopping. We need…” she rubbed her forehead and sighed as she tried to remember. “Groceries, we’re already out of pears. Definitely need more of that nice wake-up tea, paper and ink…”

Callum blinked. “You look a little tired, maybe I could go instead and—“

“No, it’s fine.” She cut off, slipping the list into her half-apron, the purple cloth that was usually tied around her waist.

“Quick question: wouldn’t lightning storms be great for sky mages?” Callum asked.

“If we were doing magic, yes. But never underestimate the power of nature. More than a few mages have been fried to a crisp after trying to fly through a storm…”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archmage Andromeda :) . I figured that having the person who discovered the star primal stone have a star-related name would make sense.
> 
> So, leave a kudos if you enjoyed the story, or if you have any thoughts/questions/concerns, comment below and let me know! I've enjoyed all of the lovely feedback I've gotten from you amazing people!


	3. Lumara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up Freyja, it's Big Feelings Time.

Freyja yawned and stretched as she touched down in the town square. As she consulted her list, she managed a quick smile or a wave to some of the other elves she knew that were at the market. “Miss Freyja! Miss Freyja!” A small voice pipped up, and a small hand tugged on her wing. She turned, finding two young Skywing elves with shy smiles on their faces.

“Hello Emi, Laufey, what can I do for ya?”

“Can you do the wind thing?” The older girl asked, her little sister by her side.

Freyja smiled. “Of course. _Aspiro,_ ” she blew a small gust of wind into both the girls’ faces, blowing back their hair and causing giggles. The two girls ran off back to their mother’s stall, the elven woman displaying finely-woven cloaks and scarves.

“Did you hear about Peregrine’s boy?” Freyja overheard two women chat with each other in the next market stall.

“Fionn? You mean how he claims to have seen a falling star? My kids have barely been able to talk about anything else since,” the mother chuckled. “Practically begging me and my wife to take them out to the west mountains so they can go find it themselves.”

The conversation turned to other topics, but the mage’s mind was racing. A fallen star…?

Through a combination of desperation and sleep deprivation, the apprentice thought that right then and there was obviously the best moment to go and try and find it.

* * *

Ibis watched the rainfall, worrying his lip. It had been hours, but still no sign of Freyja.

“She still hasn’t come back yet from the market?”

“She did,” The older mage sighed. “With absolutely none of the things she said she’d get. Instead, grabbing something from her room and taking off again.”

Callum shook his head, and closing the tome on Ancient Draconic. It’s not like he would be able to focus on it anyway. “I noticed, she seems to be acting strangely the past week? Looking tired, and absent minded about things. Like her brain is just off somewhere else.”

The Skywing sat down at the table. “Yes, I’ve noticed that too. Freyja can be…stubborn, at times. Normally it helps her when things get difficult, like when she spent an entire week translating everything she said into Ancient Draconic to get a better feel for the language,” he chuckled. “But other times,” his gaze went back towards the window.

The prince looked outside, shrugged off his coat, and decided that he had to do something about this.

* * *

Freyja bit out every curse word she knew in elvish and Draconic, her wings beating as she tried to make it home.

The rain was coming down hard and heavy, with lighting splitting the sky every few seconds. Even as a sky mage, Freyja’s heart was beating hard and fast on her chest. She was clutching her apron to her chest for dear life, unwilling to risk either of its contents, even as she was pelted with rain. Flying half blind and already exhausted, the winged elf was futily trying to navigate her way through the storm. That was when she heard something.

“Freyja!”

She turned. Was that—no. No way.

Streaking through the sky towards her was a large, brown feathered, annoying human mage named Callum. Of all the _bloody_ times.

“Freyja, oh man am I glad that I found you.”

“What are you bloody doing out here?!” She demanded. Had he used some sort of tracking spell, or was her luck just that lousy?

“What am I—what are _you_ doing out here?!” He demanded, as rain and lightning came down around them.

“That’s not—“ Lightning came down, splintering a tall pine not ten feet from them. The teenagers gasped, and startled away.

“We need to get out of here, _now!”_ The prince was not asking.

Freyja scanned the surrounding terrain. “There!” She gestured to a nearby cave, and soon the two young magi were swooping down towards the entrance.

* * *

The cave was barely taller than they were, but it was dry, and that would have to do for now. The two soaked teens used some quick applications of _Aspiro_ to dry themselves off. Then the yelling started.

“What were you doing out here?” Callum repeated his earlier question. “You could have been killed!” The crack of lightning seemed to hammer down the seriousness.

Groaning in pain, the mage’s gaze was unfocused as she finally looked at him. “Like you care.”

“Hey, I almost _died_ flying out here in this weather. You could at least give me an explanation!”

The two stared each other down for a long moment. Freyja blinked first.

“Because,” she started, reaching into her apron, “I was trying to repair this.” She revealed the cracked primal stone, its presence giving them a bit more light.

Callum gasped. “Is that a—“

“Primal stone? Yes. It contains the power of a meteor storm—ancient elves used to gaze into their future, to use _star_ magic. Now it’s little more than a pretty paper weight.” She gestured to the crack in its side and sat down on the cave floor, laying the stone on her lap and spreading out her black wings behind her. “I found it while cleaning out Ibis’ study, and I thought if I could just get it to work then,” she huffed, “then I could finally do something _you_ couldn’t.” Freyja glared. “You’re the freaking wonder-boy, and I’m sick of it!”

The prince’s expression changed. “Are you saying that because I’m—“

“It’s not because you’re a _human,”_ Freyja cut off. “It’s because you just get it. Nubelis, my favorite spell? It took me two days to trace the rune right, and another week of practice to get a handle on controlling the cloud. It’s a tricky spell and I was really, really proud of myself for patiently figuring it out. Then I show it to you _once_ and you get it in one go.” Deep breath in, deep breath out, the venom draining out of her, her gaze falling to the floor. “I’ve been studying sky magic for longer, but you’re already better at it than me.” The mage curled into herself further.

The prince looked at her, listening and thinking about what she said. “You were frustrated with yourself, that you couldn’t do more. I get that.” She snorted. “No, really! It took me awhile to find magic, something that I was actually good at. After getting the primal stone, an entire new world opened up in front of me…then I had to break it.”

“ _Had_ to?” Freyja looked over at him, eyebrow raised.

“Long story, we needed to hatch Zym quickly and apparently sky dragons can only hatch in the eye of a storm. Afterwards I felt lost and frustrated, like I couldn’t do anything anymore. I almost died trying to connect myself to the sky arcanum....” He looked to the mouth of the cave, just in time to see another flash of lightning among the dark clouds. “But this isn’t about me. You were frustrated, and desperate…but you shouldn’t risk your life.”

He looked back at her. “So why, _specifically_ did you fly out into the storm.”

“To get this.” Reaching again into her apron, she pulled out a shiny ore.

“That’s a…real nice rock you got there.” Callum tried.

“It’s not just a rock, it’s a _meteorite._ A fallen star. I’d hoped,” she sighed. “I don’t know what I was thinking, but I thought it would help. Maybe absorb the power or something but,” She clinked the meteorite and the primal stone together. “Yeah, nothing.”

The prince thought about this…maybe Freyja was on the right track. “Hey, could I see the primal stone?”

“Uh, sure?”

She gently handed it over. Callum then pulled something out of his pack. Some kind of…handheld cube? Inscribed with the symbols of the six primal sources, the star sign began to glow when he held it up to the primal stone.

“Uh, what is that? And why is it glowing?”

“It’s uh…key thing? My dad left it for me, it apparently belonged to an elven archmage a long time ago.” He shrugged. “It can sense the presence of magic, and the fact that it’s glowing means that this stone still has primal magic inside of it, the crack just means that you can’t get it out for whatever reason.”

“Archmage Andromeda figured it was something like that.”

“Ah, who?”

“She was Ibis’ teacher—and the one who discovered the primal stone in the first place.” That was when an idea struck her. “Hey, let me see that cube-thing.” Callum handed it over. Freyja held the cube in one hand, and the meteorite in the other.

With a smile, she watched as the star sigil began to shine “Well, it seems this hasn’t been a waste after all…”

* * *

Not long after the storm cleared Ibis’s students returned. The Skywing mage was relieved to see them safe, but barely had time to tell them that before the teenagers were rushing upstairs to the workshop saying they had to work on something.

That had been a few hours ago. Now, they were up in Freyja’s room discussing something. He caught snippets of the conversation as he passed by their door.

“Wouldn’t star magic be the best choice?”

“Theoretically, yes. Unfortunately we basically know jack about star magic, other than it’s used to like, see into the future and whatever.”

“Okay, what about the other primal sources? Though I guess moon magic is out right away.”

“Yeah, moon magic is basically just illusions so it would just _look_ fixed, not actually repaired.”

“Earth magic?”

Okay, that’s it. “What are you two working on?” He asked, opening up the door. The first thing he registered was the somewhat startled look on their faces at him just barging in. Then the familiar broken primal stone on the table told him all he needed to know.

“Callum, Freyja,” Ibis sighed. “My master dedicated years of her life to trying and _failing_ to repair that stone. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you don’t want to waste your time on a pointless endeavor.”

“Yes, but did your master have _this_?” Callum questioned, pointing to something on the table.

“…that’s a rock.”

“No—well, technically yes—but even more technically it’s a _meteorite._ ” The younger elf explained, smiling.

“A meteorite that radiates with star magic,” Callum elaborated. Rubbing his chin, the older mage considered…could it really be that simple?

“I believe that if this meteorite ore is melted down and fused with the remains of the primal stone, maybe it’ll finally work again.”

Ibis considered for a long moment. “...in terms of magical theory it’s solid. It’s the details of primal stones that bother me. The process of making them has largely been lost, and with how little we know about the star arcanum…you’re really in unexplored territory.”

“We also have nothing to lose if we’re wrong.”

“I doubt it’s as simple as running down to the nearest blacksmith’s forge. We’re working with ancient and delicate magic here.”

The prince nodded. “Exactly…and aren’t some of the best enchanters in Xadia working at the Sunforge?”

The ones that are still alive, yes. “Well, yes, but—“

He continued, undeterred. “And I don’t think the magic they use would be incompatible, but isn’t the sun basically just another type of star?”

“Again, yes,” Freyja acknowledged. “But, it isn’t that simple. You don’t just _go_ to the Sunforge and ask someone to do something. You have to know people, very important people.”

“Well lucky for us, I know someone who would probably at least hear us out.” He smiled.

She crossed her arms. “And who would that be?”

“Janai, the new Sunfire queen.”

Freyja chortled, turning to her master to share in the laughter, only to see the look on his face. “Oh, you’re not joking.”

* * *

From there, everything happened quickly. First, Callum sent a letter to Lux Aurea, and the next thing Freyja knew, they were flying to the city of the sun elves and standing before the throne.

Callum did the introductions, and then the two of them took turns speaking; showcasing the meteorite and the broken primal stone, explaining their theory, what they wanted to do, and why such a project would be beneficial.

“…and with how rare primal stones are, it is undoubtedly beneficial to repair the ones we do still have. It could even, perhaps, help us re-discover the process of forging such objects.” Freyja did her best not to stammer under the intense gaze of the Sunfire Queen and was (mostly) successful. Callum was completely unperturbed, the lucky prince.

Janai considered, gazing at the two teenagers. Her face soon shifted into a soft smile. “It is a worthy project, and success or failure, it should not take our metalworkers long to complete. You have my blessing and my permission.”

They bowed.

“Oh and, Prince Callum?”

He turned back. “Yes, your Majesty?”

“…do send my regards to General Amaya.”

Callum smiled, and assured her that he would. Freyja couldn’t help but feel she was missing something, but it probably didn’t matter. By royal decree, the pair were to have free access to the Sunforge. Less than a day later, the pair watched, enraptured, as artisans fired up their crucibles and began their work.

When all was done, the metal had filled in the cracks of the primal stone like _kintsugi_ , the ancient storm whole once more. The blacksmith had practically smacked the apprentices’ hands away from it as the metal cooled.

Now, here they were, the moment of truth.

Callum gave a ‘go ahead’ gesture, and Freyja wasn’t about to be told twice. The Skywing mage smiled as she picked up the fallen star, feeling the power in the palm of her hand.

“Now then, let’s see if we can’t do a bit of star magic, aye?”

Deep breath in, deep breath out. Gripping the primal stone in her left hand, Freyja traced out a rune with her right. It was purple, and shaped like a lantern.

“ _Lumara.”_

A ball of light appeared, floating above her open palm. Freyja stared, then laughed out of disbelief and joy. They pair’s excitement only grew as they found that the ball followed the direction of one’s hand. It was so simple, really just a basic light spell—a basic _starlight_ spell.

“Let me try! Let me try!”

“Okay!” Freyja closed her hand, dismissing the light, and passed the primal stone to Callum. Giddy, he traced out the lantern rune, and cast Lumara for himself.

“We know star magic.”

“We know star magic!”

The two mages giggled, going back and forth summoning and un-summoning their small light sources. That was how Rayla and Janai found them ten minutes later, still summoning lights and talking about star magic.

“Am I interrupting something?” The dragonguard asked with a fond smile.

“Yeah! We figured out how to repair a primal stone!” Callum geeked out. “A _primal_ stone. Not that I’m not happy to see you, because I am and—“ he laughed. “What are you doing here?”

“Officially, I’m here to debrief Her Majesty about the developments at the Storm Spire. Unofficially, I heard you were in the city,” The pair kissed.

Freyja blinked, glancing over to the queen, a question in her eyes. Janai nodded. Okay then, well, that was a thing.

“But a primal stone, that’s really impressive. What can’t you do, Callum?”

Freyja’s gaze fell, looking to the meteor storm in her hands. Deep breath in, deep breath out. “You deserve this, Callum. Really.”

The prince stared at her for a long moment before his expression softened. “I can’t take this.”

Freyja blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“ _You’re_ the one who did all of the research, flew out into the storm to go after the meteorite—“

“She wha’ now?”

“—And figured out that it was connected to the star arcanum. I just helped get us into the Sunforge. As far as I’m concerned, the primal stone is yours.” He smiled, pressing the stone back to her. Freyja well and truly didn’t know what to say, cradling the primal stone close to her chest.

“Although, I wouldn’t say no to maybe stopping by some time and getting a few star magic lessons…” he teased.

Freyja smiled. “Okay, have some patience, friend. But sure, someday.”

* * *

_Blessed with a natural set of wings, Freyja is a young mage of the Skywing elves, and studied under Ibis. Her skill with sky magic comes from sheer hard work and tenacity, rather than natural talent. Now, the young sky mage seeks to learn the little-understood star arcanum through a repaired primal stone._

_While initially jealous of his ease with the sky arcanum, Freyja has become a staunch ally of Callum, and his quest for peace._

_Age: 17_

_Birthday: February 13th_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, SO MUCH for coming on this journey with me. I have had SO MUCH FUN writing this story. Also, I can now tell you guys the full logic for Freyja's name! In Norse mythology, Freyja was the goddess associated with a bunch of stuff like war, but also a form of magic related to prophecy. She also had a falcon-feather cloak allowing her to fly. So, for a Skywing mage that learns some star magic, it seemed like the right fit  
> 
> 
> All of the spells I made up are basically directly translated or tweaked from Latin (according to Google Translate)
> 
> Nubelis = from 'nimbus' meaning cloud
> 
> Impetus Tempestatis= 'whirlwind' 
> 
> Impetus Tempestatis Novis = 'reverse whirlwind'
> 
> Lumara= from 'lumen' meaning light


End file.
